Free 'Geron Pastitsios' and abolish Greek anti-blasphemy laws!

A bitter blow against freedom of expression in Greece: a 27 year old internet user was arrested and charged with blasphemy because he ran a facebook page that satirised a renowned Greek Orthodox monk.

We, citizens of the world and advocates for free speech, demand the immediate withdrawal of the charges against the accused and we urge the Greek Parliament to abolish the Greek anti-blasphemy laws.

If Greece wishes to be a part of the modern globalized world it must adhere to the standards and principles of a free nation where its people have the right to have a free and open dialogue about all subjects. Discussion, debate, and action are the basic building blocks of a free society.

Here are the relevant laws:

Article 198 - Malicious Blasphemy:

1. One who publicly and maliciously and by any means swears blasphemes God shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than two years.

2. Except for cases under paragraph 1, one who by blasphemy publicly manifests a lack of respect for the divinity, shall be punished by jailing for not more that six months or by pecuniary penalty of not more than 3,000 euros.

Article 199 - Blasphemy Concerning Religions:

One who publicly and maliciously and by any means blasphemes the Eastern Orthodox Church of Christ or any other religion tolerated in Greece shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than two years.

This petition is supported by:-The Humanist Union of Greece (HUG)_____________________________________________________________